Not every anime ends with the heroes defeating the villains. Although, as in all fiction, heroes winning is expected. However, it's very common for stories to end with the villains winning! While the heroes, unfortunately, end up losing to varying degrees. So, with that in mind, we've prepared this list for you!
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Anime where the villain wins – Top 10
10. Berserk still hasn't given Griffith what he deserves
A notable example of an anime that ends with the villain winning is the 1997 Berserk Berserk , Griffith, in his quest for power, sacrifices the Pack to get what he wants. Even in the manga, this remains the case, as Griffith has not yet been punished for his crimes.
09. Hellsing Ultimate's villains got what they wanted
Another anime that ended with the villains winning is Hellsing Ultimate. Millenium's main goals were to fight the biggest war in history and kill Alucard. So, while Millenium was ultimately defeated, they still managed to wage an incredibly massive and bloody war and defeat Alucard using Schrödinger's technique to deny his existence . Granted, Alucard managed to return after 30 years, but Millenium still got everything they hoped to achieve by fighting Hellsing.
08. Shaman King's villain was unstoppable from day one
Many stories will have a villain winning by being completely unstoppable, with a perfect example of this being 2021's Shaman King. Hao became Shaman King unhindered, and no one dies , as Hao was convinced to postpone his genocide . It's unlikely Hao will ever return to being a full-fledged villain, but it's still surprising that the original series had the heroes so completely outmatched from start to finish.
07. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' prequel status solidified its downer ending
Another anime where the villain wins by being untouchable is Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. David and his team of mercenaries continually drew increasing ire from the Arasaka Corporation, and it even seemed like they would win in the end. However, Adam Smasher appeared out of nowhere to kill David and all of his remaining friends . Since the anime was a prequel to Cyberpunk: 2077 , it makes sense that the Arasaka Corporation and Adam Smasher would have to survive, but seeing it end with almost everyone dead was heartbreaking.
06. Mobile Suit Gundam : They made their villains good guys
Stories can also end with the villains winning by having the villains become the good guys. Despite their best efforts, Tekkadan was completely destroyed by Rustal and the Arianrhod Fleet. But surprisingly, the time jump at the end of Iron-Blooded Orphans revealed that Rustal enacted all the reforms Tekkadan wanted passed . It's implied that Rustal did this largely out of pragmatism, but seeing the villains do everything the heroes wanted without consequences for their crimes still ended the series on a sour note.
Anime where the villain wins – Top 5
05. Code Geass made Lelouch get everything he wanted with his death
Another notable anime where the villain wins by being the good guy all along is Code Geass . Lelouch definitely became the villain in Code Geass as he engaged in increasingly heinous acts. But Code Geass 's ending revealed that this was all on purpose, as Lelouch wanted to unite the world and create an era of peace .
04. Devilman Crybaby perfectly modernized its villains' victories
Devilman manga is a classic example of a story that ends with the villains winning. Just like in the manga, Devilman Crybaby saw Akira lose all his loved ones. Furthermore, Akira died fighting, but God also suddenly appeared at the end to destroy the Earth .
Animes where the villain wins – Top 03
03. Evangelion's ending has one of the most depressing endings in anime
Another older example of an anime ending with the villains winning is The End of Evangelion. SEELE, the main villains of Neon Genesis Evangelion , wanted to unite humanity into a single consciousness through the Third Impact. Thus, in The End of Evangelion , despite Shinji's efforts, SEELE successfully initiated the Third Impact and destroyed the world and everyone in it except Shinji and Asuka . Therefore, while it is unclear whether SEELE achieved everything it wanted, the film still ended with SEELE defeating the heroes.
02. The villains of Panty & Stocking win with a totally ridiculous twist
Twist endings are one of the easiest ways for villains to ultimately win, and a great example of this in anime is 2010's Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Stocking suddenly killed Panty, revealed herself to be a demon, and cut Panty's body into 666 pieces and scattered them across the world . This completely undoes everything the heroes have accomplished, but the absurd nature of the series does a lot to prevent the villains' victory from bringing the story down too much.
01. The villain of Madoka Magica Rebellion was someone no one expected
Another anime where the villain wins through a surprise ending, and the last notable anime to be discussed, is 2013's Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion Homura was revealed to be the true villain, who used the events of the story to steal Madoka's position as God and rewrite reality to be with Madoka . Making Homura the new villain completely changed the franchise, and that's what makes the film one of the best anime where the villain wins .
So, what did you guys think of this list of villains who won? Leave a comment and see you next time!
